3/02/2005

Carneval

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Carneval

***** Location: Worldwide
***** Season: Early Spring (around February)
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

shanikusai 謝肉祭 (しゃにくさい) carneval
kaanibaru カーニバル、karunauearu カルナヴァル


Japan has been using the Gregorian calendar since 1874.
Considering the changes of the Japanese calendar
February might be considered "late winter", as far as the climate goes.

. Names of Months and the Haiku Seasons .


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The Latin “Carne Vale” means : Good by to Meat.
From now on the Christian Fasting season starts. It is usually aroud the middle of February.
As a kigo, it will be placed in early Spring, including only the pre-lenten activities.

The Lenten fast is strict in the Greek Orthodox Church. It is preceded by a festive Meat Sunday featuring lamb and other meat dishes, and then a Cheese Sunday, the last day when dairy products are permitted. Lenten fare is restricted to dried beans, lentils, rice, pasta, and vegetables, with fish on special days.

In Greece, a carnival season called apokria precedes the start of Lent. Apokria begins with a feast of roast kid or lamb, followed by two weeks of festivities including parades of masked figures. The third week begins with Tyrini—Cheese Sunday—when cheese, a food forbidden during Lent, is eaten in pies.

The following day is called Clean Monday, and is a national holiday at which many children appear in their Carnival costumes. The pastime of the day is flying special hexagonal kites decorated with geometric designs. Traditionally, all animal foods including fish are forbidden in Lent and some people also eschew oil. Vegetables and legumes are therefore the main Lenten foods of Greece with a little shellfish – permitted because, unlike fin fish, it lacks blood. While many people no longer fast for forty days, most people observe the fast strictly for the two weeks preceding Easter.
http://www.diversityresources.com/intranet/feb_food.htm

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Ed Schwellenbach has the following thoughts:

There are carnivals and then there are carnivals (or maybe you spell it canaval, carnavale, or karneval). In onelook.com, the "quick definitions" for carnival are:

1) noun: a [communal] festival marked by merrymaking and processions. Bracketed word is mine.

2) noun: a traveling show; having sideshows and rides and games of skill etc.

3) noun: a frenetic disorganized (and often comic) disturbance suggestive of a circus or carnival (Example: "The whole occasion had a carnival atmosphere")

It seems to me that:
+ There are hundreds of thousands of carnivals as described in the first two definitions above, e.g., school carnivals, church carnivals, and community carnivals held at any time of the year---
often for fund raising, at least in the USA.

+ There are some famous, local/regional, non-pre-Lenten carnivals with no universality, e.g., Notting Hill Carnival in England, Aalborg Carnival in Denmark, Carnival of Patras in Greece, Samba Parade and Festival in Tokyo, and the Summer Carnival in Rotterdam.

+ There are the "celebrity" pre-Lenten carnivals, e.g., Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro, and Carnaval de Quebec in Canada. Perhaps a few others in Cologne, Nice, and Venice, and Mazatlan, Mexico

+ And there are thousands of lesser-known local/regional pre-Lenten carnivals, e.g., Goa Carnival in India, various fastnacht in Germany, including the Swabian-Alemannic Karneval, and Carnaval de Las Palmas in the Canary Islands,

Therefore, the only categories for the database would be the pre- Lenten ones, i.e., the very famous and their many local/regional versions worldwide.

Finally, it seems to me that events like Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday (worldwide), Pancake Day (UK), Paczki Day (Poland) and maybe Herring Day (Poland), and are "related items" in the database---not carnivals in themselves. Although in some places, people part a bit-- -sometimes, quite a bit--- on these days. Carnivals seem to be well- planned community events that include, among other things, parades.

Three good resources that I found are:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/carnival
-A well rounded article with many excellent links and a great picture of Swabian-Alemannic
carnival clowns in Wolfach, Germany.

http://www.carnaval.com/global/in_carnival-links.htm
-A listing of carnivals throughout the world, both pre-Lenten and non-pre-Lenten. Sometimes, this site is very slow to load.


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Worldwide use

Belgium
Belgium is a great carnival celebrating country... the principal town to look for is Binche, whose carnival has been recognised by UNESCO as a world heritage custom. The food of the day is the fresh orange.

http://www.carnavaldebinche.be/

http://www.visithainaut.be/hr/owa/MtrAttrEven.GetEvenInfo?EVEN_ID=19438&CLANGUE=\EN&RG=H

http://www.visitbelgium.com/bepres08.htm

Isabelle Prondzynski

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.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Carnival in Rio

Carnival is Rio's main event. It happens at the peak of summer, when Cariocas are at their best. Festivities attract thousands of people from all corners of the world. Carnaval, as spelled in Portuguese, is a 4-day celebration. It starts on Saturday, and ends on Fat Tuesday, or Mardi-Gras.

Dates change every year. Carnival Sunday is seven weeks before Easter Sunday.
The origins of Carnival are unclear, but most agree that it started as a pagan celebration in ancient Rome or Greece. Carnival balls were imported to Rio from Italy in the late nineteenth century, and had their golden era in the 1930 through 50's, with legendary balls at the Copacabana Palace and the Municipal Theater.

The Samba Parade began in the 30's - first timidly at Praça XI, and later on Av. Presidente Vargas. It found a permanent home in 1984 at the Sambodrome, a structure in the downtown area. Today Samba Parade is broadcast to dozens of countries, and all Brazilian states. Many people think of it as the greatest show on earth.
http://www.ipanema.com/carnival/home.htm


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.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Carneval in Venice

The mask in the city of Venice has ancient origins and was used for many months of the year. Masks were allowed from the day of Santo Stefano, which marked the start of the Venetian carnival, to midnight of Shrove Tuesday which marked the end. (Naturally, they were forbidden on days of religious festivals).
http://www.carnivalofvenice.com/argomento.asp?cat=13

http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/1ffe4/22643/1/
http://www.venetia.it/s_carn_eng.htm

Here are some of my favorite masks (I was in Venice two years ago and even at no—carneval times the town if full of masks nowadays, mostly worn by tourists.
http://www.venicemaskshop.com/default.htm
http://www.carnivalofvenice.com/area.asp?id=4
http://www.aurumxxl.com/carnival.htm
http://www.exploitz.com/pictures/4920/index.php

.. .. .. .. .. More Links to Masks

http://www.venezia-carnevale.de/karn60/karneval60.html
http://www.venezia-carnevale.de/karn27/karneval27.html

From 2001
http://www.venezia-carnevale.de/karn24/karneval24.html

Click on VENEZIA to see more.
Also click on Martin Hertnagel to enter another set of masks.
http://www.carnevale.de/

oo oo oo oo oo oo

Look at Piazza St. Marco to get in the Venetian Mood.
http://crossspot.net/origasumie/San%20Marco%20and%20Lion.jpg

Venetian Triptych

I was visiting Venice in the end of April when there was Easter Carnival - to celebrate the END of the Fasting period! That was the time I was talking about in my haiku:

Venetian carnival --
masks and pigeons
among the garbage

sinking city...
the winged lion soars
over the pier

crumbling walls
fall into the canal
geranium petals
http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Italy/Veneto/Venice/Venezia/photo24698.htm


Olag Hooper
http://thegreenleaf.co.uk/HP/Duets/Olga/00olgahaiku.htm

Some more links
http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Italy/Veneto/Venice/Venezia/phooto84655.htm
> http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Italy/photo14244.htm
> http://www.exploitz.com/pictures/4177/index.php?pix=7
> http://www.travel-images.com/italy63.jpg

The Venetian Masks of Old
http://foto.lucien.it/carnevale/storia/storia_mask.htm


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Croatia

Fašnik (Carnival, Shrove Tuesday) - Traditional Fašnik
The name Fašnik usually refers to the day before Ash Wednesday, or Shrove Tuesday. On that day, the Evildoer or Fašnik, the one who is to blame for everything bad that happened during the previous year, is burned in effigy, drowned or hung. Before the execution, he stands a trial in which a prosecutor, judge, defense counsel, executioner, and the grieving family take part. The Fašnik dummy is made of straw, cloth, or an old suit.

On Fašnik day, it is customary to cook sauerkraut, žganci (corn mush), beef, to roast a turkey or a goose and to bake krafne (doughnuts). Fašnik is also considered the name-day for men, hence some of them extend good wishes to each other as a joke.
Samobor and Velika Gorica have the longest tradition of organizing Fašnik in Zagreb County, but it is also celebrated in towns and municipalities all over the County.

“Samoborski Fašnik “ (“Samobor Fašnik”) dates back as far as the beginning of the 19th century and its symbol is a masked character “Sraka” (Magpie), which is also the name of the Fašnik newsletter published in Samobor from 1904 till this very day. During Fašnik, various individual and group, children’s and village masks are presented while the streets and squares of the town, restaurants and bars, completely change their outward appearance.

The second oldest Fašnik in Zagreb County is the “Velikogorički Fašnik” (“Velika Gorica Fašnik”) which, according to historical picture postcards of Velika Gorica, is being held since early 20th century. The Fašnik procession usually passes through the town, individual masks and Fašnik groups are presented, and the best are selected in a rich entertainment program.

Look at some nice pictures on these links:
:http://www.tzzz.hr/novo/engleski/edogadjanja/gdogadjanja2b.htm
http://www.tzzz.hr/engleski/SAMOBOR/samoborzanimljivosti1.htm

Samobor Carnival
http://www.phy.hr/~dpaar/samobor/turist.html

>> Faanik-carnival...
>> my tot crying: the straw
>> Evil Prince put on fire

Tomislav Maretic

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Germany

By Erika Schwalm

In Germany we call Carneval "FASCHING" or "FASTNACHT".
The FASCHING starts in Germany on the 11.11. and ends in February with the Pancake Day, Old womens festival, "Altweiberfastnacht"

The principals towns are Koeln, Düsseldorf, Mainz, and other town like Frankfurt ect. BASEL in Switzerland has a famous carneval time.

We have "Kappensitzungen" Partys with speakers about the polical or social situation and dancing girls ,"Kostuemfeste" fancy-dress-party and parad's "Fachingsumzuege"
On Partys we are dressed in funny costumes like "Dracula", "Peter Pan", "Princess", "clowns" Cowboys ect.

the carnevals parad is on the end of the Faschingstime. (February)
On the last day we have Pancake Day "Altweiberfsenacht" .
We let the winter behind and wait for the spring .
The people enjoy themselves before the Great Fast time before Eastertime.

Haiku written by members of the Frankfurt Haikucircle on carneval date 26.2.2003 in the Resatuarant "EAT AND ART" in Frankfurt
(Tr. by Gabi Greve)


Carneval Ikebana by Erika

Einmal im Jahr
hat man gern den Regenguss:
ja Bonbon-Regen

once a year
we enjoy the shower -
the shower of sweets

(thrown from the parade carts on the viewers)

Mieko Schroeder


Weiberfastnacht!
Wie gern werde ich einmal
Krawatten abschneiden

Old Women,s Carnival
I would love to cut
the neckties

Mieko Schroeder


Das Faschingsnase
im Schaufenster Fünf EURO
mir genügt meine.

a fake carnevals nose
in the showroom, five EURO
mine is enough

Erika Schwalm


Üben - üben - üb...
"Jenny, du fette Henni!"
Heute Tanzmarie

practise, practise, pract...
"Jenny, you fat hanny!
Today the Girls Dance Parade

Maria Pohlmann


Rote Stiefelchen
Tressen und Bommeln am Rock
und dann der Applaus

red little boots
cords and beads on the dress
and then the applause

(descriptive of the Carneval Parade)
Maria Pohlmann

Die roten Nasen
am Rande des Faschingszugs
sind nicht von Pappe

red noses
at the end of the Carneval parade
not made of paper

(everyone got a cold, I guess)
Harald Kaiser


Ein verrücktes Jahr!
Ich habe die Narrenkappe
garnicht abgesetzt...

What a crazy year!
I never took off
the Clown,s hat!

Nicole Klutky


Abendrobe?
Oder doch Faschingsjacke?
Je nach Betrachter...

evening dress?
or carneval costume?
as you like it

Nicole Klutky


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Rosenmontag - Rosenmontagszug

Rosenmontag (Rose Monday) is the highlight of the German "Karneval" (carnival), and is on the Shrove Monday before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


source with many more : www.spiegel.de


The Rose Monday parades in Cologne, Mainz and Duesseldorf are the highlight of the German street carnival season, in/famous known for their satirical procession floats.


Rose Monday parade
small Sarkozy nestles
between Merkel's breasts

Rose Monday float
sunlit "Merkozy" tattoo
on Merkel's right arm


Chen-ou Liu
February 2012


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Carnival Monday
Leaves a pamphlet behind -
the Roseninsel


Graham England
February 2013





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Things found on the way



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HAIKU


Carneval in Venice-
the last mask looks
for the exit

Gabi Greve
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/happyhaiku/message/515


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Related words

***** Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras >
Shrovetide
.. Maselnitsa (Russia)

Shrove Tuesday—Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday in French—marks the final midwinter fling before Ash Wednesday, the first day of the Lenten fast. Traditionally, believers confessed and were absolved (shrived) of their sins before the fast, then they consumed the last of luxuries such as dairy foods and meat. In England and France people now use milk and eggs to make the traditional pancakes.

In Finland, the Shrove Tuesday specialty is a bun filled with almond paste and whipped cream. In many Roman Catholic countries Shrove Tuesday is the culminating day of Carnival—a word deriving from the Latin words carne vale, "farewell to meat." Carnival parades and balls with masked dancers and costumed figures from popular myth are the annual highlight in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Venice, Italy, and New Orleans in the United States as well as many other Mediterranean, South American and Caribbean cities. English pancakes are also a popular dish.
http://www.diversityresources.com/intranet/feb_food.htm


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*****Ash Wednesday. Aschermittwoch
hai no suiyoobi 灰の水曜日 (はいのすいようび)
seikaisai 聖灰祭(せいかいさい)
daisaijibi 大斎始日(だいさいしび)



From the Middle Ages salt cod was a winter staple, especially for Lent and fast days, when meat, eggs, and milk products were both hard to get and forbidden by the Church. But cooks in the Catholic countries of Europe turned hardship to blessing by inventing literally hundreds of ways to cook it. In France there are more recipes for salt cod than for any other single fish. Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal and the countries of South America and the Caribbean also have a myriad of salt cod dishes, now often served throughout the year.
http://www.diversityresources.com/intranet/feb_food.htm




Next we come to


. Lent (Carême, Fastenzeit) 四旬節 shijunsetsu   


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. Christian Celebrations in Japanese Kigo  

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Cat (neko)

[ . BACK to Worldkigo TOP . ]
. Legends about cats .
. Cats and Daruma san .
. Daruma as a cat 猫だるま .
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Cat (neko)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Nonseasonal Topic
***** Category: Animal


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Explanation


http://darumasan.blogspot.com/2005/03/washi-japanese-paper_31.html

The cat, with no further explanation, is man's best friend during the whole year. There are however seasonal events in a cat's life that come as a kigo. Let us look at them.

.. .. .. Kigo for early spring:

love-season for cats, neko no koi 猫の恋、koi neko 恋猫
cat in heat, cats mate, neko sakaru 猫さかる
cat in spring, haru no neko 春の猫(はるのねこ)
philandering cat, ukare neko 浮かれ猫
"cats walking to their lovers", kayou neko 通う猫(かようねこ)

a cat's mate : according to the Chinese character it is written in, it can be the male or female partner,

neko no tsuma 猫の (male) 猫の (female)

cat going hunting for a girlfriend, imogari yuku neko
..... 妹がり行く猫(いもがりゆくねこ)
pledge of a cat, neko no chigiri 猫の契(ねこのちぎり)

pregnant cat, harami neko 孕み猫(はらみねこ)


kigo for late spring

mother cat giving birth, neko no san 猫の産(ねこのさん)

kitten, neko no ko 猫の子
small cat, koneko 仔猫(こねこ
parent of a kitten, neko no oya 猫の親(ねこのおや), oyaneko 親猫(おやねこ)
cat with kittens, komochi neko 子持猫(こもちねこ)



February 22 is "the Day of the Cat"
The Japanese cat's voice is "nyan!"
So, this is play of words, 2.22 (nyan, nyan, nyan)




- photo : Japan Lovers, facebook -

spring adventures -
getting old
gracefully


Gabi Greve, April 2015

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cats at the hot spring / Utagawa Yoshifuji 歌川 芳藤

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kigo for all winter

kajike neko かじけ猫 (かじけねこ) cat is all stiff
(because of the cold)
haineko, hai neko 灰猫(はいねこ)neko in the ashes
(the hearth was a warm place in an old farmhouse)
kamado neko 竈猫(かまどねこ)neko in the hearth
hekkoi neko へっつい猫(へっついねこ)
kotatsu neko 炬燵猫(こたつねこ)cat in the kotatsu


My Cat Haiku Kun, by Gabi Greve

. Kotatsu, the heatable table   



kotatsu neko -
another kigo
to brighten my day !



ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo


.. .. .. Plant Kigo for Autumn:

"toy for cats", neko jarashi, nekojarashi 猫じゃらし
giant foxtail, Chinese foxtail, Chinese millet

Setaria faberi, Setaria viridis.
giant bristlegrass, nodding foxtail

enokorogusa 狗尾草 , えのこぐさ "fox tail plant"
..... inukogusa 犬子草(いぬこぐさ)"small dog plant"
murasaki enokoro 紫えのころ(むらさきえのころ)violet
kin enokoro 金えのころ(きんえのころ) golden
hama enokoro 浜えのころ(はまえのころ)on the beach


CLICK for more photos

Of the rice family, with a thin stem and a tail of about 10 cm. It is used to make cats or small dogs try to catch it.
During the Edo period, its name was "dog tail", but children also used it to play with cats, and with time the name changed.


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Worldwide use

Katze, Kater


門司ヶ関人形工房

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Things found on the way


Do not miss the Interview with Haiku kun
the honorable vice director of our World Kigo Database.
Japan Times, December 17, 2005


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Manekineko, the Beckoning Cat 招き猫
This is a special symbol for good luck in Japan and a nice present for the New Year.

Here is my story about this auspicious cat.
http://darumadollmuseum.blogspot.com/2005/01/cats-and-daruma.html

Gabi Greve



. Join the Manekineko on facebook ! .

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. neko Jizo 猫地蔵 Neko Jizo. "Jizo with Cat" .

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九谷焼鏑木商舗 Kutani ware - Kaburaki
. soroban 算盤 / 十呂盤 / そろばん Abacus calculator .


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Japanese cats with NO tail .
Find the Explanation here.


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Nekomata – The Split-Tailed Cat

by Zack Davisson



Kamakura Period –
The Nekomata of the Mountains

Most Japanese yokai were born during the Edo period, but the nekomata has more ancient roots. Mention of the nekomata first appeared during the Kamakura period (1185-1333), where it was mentioned in the literary jottings of Yoshida Kenko in his scroll Tsurezure-gusa (徒然草; The Harvest of Leisure, also known as Essays in Idleness). Yoshida wrote “Deep in the mountains there is a creature called the nekomata. It is said that it feeds on humans.” At around the same period, Fujiwara Sadaie recorded in the scroll Meigetsuki (明月記; The Record of the Clear Moon, sometimes called Diary of the Clear Moon) that on August 8th in the first year of Tenpuku (1233) in Nanto (modern day Nara prefecture) a nekomata from the mountains killed and ate several people.

MORE
source : hyakumonogatari.com


Kaibyo: The Supernatural Cats of Japan


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HAIKU


- - - - - Matsuo Basho

麦飯にやつるる恋か猫の妻
mugimeshi ni yatsururu koi ka neko no tsuma

Has it been from love as well as barley rice
that it has grown so scrawny?
cat's mate.

Tr. Kawamoto


A cat's wife -
grown thin from love
and barley?

Tr. Shirane


from barley gruel
and from love it looses weight ?
the cat in love

Tr. Gabi Greve


Warum schreit die kleine Katze?
War der Brei ihr nicht sanft?
Oder ist sie verliebt?


Fur die Katzen-Zunft Messkirch
Am 21. Februar 1954 / Martin Heidegger
. Martin Heidegger .

This hokku has the question marker KA at the end of line 2.



source : itoyo/basho
Gunma, Temple 正幸寺 群馬県前橋市三河 正幸寺

麥めしにやつるゝ戀や里の猫
三日月や広いそらにも曲て置
source : satoneko.html


Written in 元禄4年, Basho age 48.

MORE
hokku about food by
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .



MORE - about cats
張抜きの猫も知るなり今朝の秋
またうどな犬ふみつけて猫の恋
猫の恋やむとき閨の朧月
猫の妻竈の崩れより通ひけり
山は猫ねぶりて行くや雪の隙
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


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love season for cats -
the neighbours daddy too
returns in the morning

neko no koi - tonari no papa mo asa-gaeri

oo oo oo

cat and the mouse
taking a nap -
autumn solitude



See: Gabi Greve and Haiku Kun

If you want to see more of Haiku kun and his mother, check this:
Cats in Paradise, Japan

If you want to see more of Haiku kun, my sleeping cat, check this:
Haiku Kun, his Album.

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spring roof --
cats' community band
sawing the night in two

scrap-heap --
dining gracefully
a stray cat

Read more of Origa's haiku here:
http://thegreenleaf.co.uk/HP/Duets/Olga/00olgahaiku.htm

And check out Cat haiga ~ by Origa (Olga Hooper)
and more haiga


geocities.com/origaboston/OrigaHaiga


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Muthurwa stalls-
houseflies buzzing on
a decomposing cat

Andrew Otinga
Kenya, February 2011


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. . . CLICK here for more cat kokeshi dolls こけし !

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- - - - - Kobayashi Issa - - - - -


嗅で見てよしにする也猫の恋
kaide mite kaide miru nari neko no koi

they sniff each other
sniff each other...
the lover cats

Tr. David Lanoue


年の内に春は来にけり猫の恋
toshi no uchi ni haru wa ki ni keri neko no koi

the year's not over
but spring comes anyway...
cats making love

Tr. David Lanoue


Robin D. Gill points out that the first 13 syllables of this haiku are taken from Ariwara-no-Motokata's waka--the first song of the ancient Kokinshuu collection.

Comment by Lary Bole, Translating Haiku:     

I think this refers to the fact that due to adjustments that had to be made in the old Japanese lunar calendar, to keep it reasonably "accurate," sometimes the official day on which spring
started fell before the official start of the new year; so that sometimes a single year would have two official starts of spring, one near the beginning of the year, and one near the end. In an analogous way our modern calendar can sometimes have two full moons in the same month.

Jane Reichhold discusses this phenomenon in relation to the earliest known haiku written by Basho:

haru ya ko shi / toshi ya yuki ken / kotsugomori

Preface: "Today we have the first day of spring in spite of the date."

has spring come
or the year gone away?
end of December


Reichhold goes on to comment:

This is the oldest dated verse by Basho that we presently have. In his lifetime, the Japanese calendar was based on the phases of the moon so that the month began with the new moon, continued with the full moon on the 15th night and ended in the dark of the moon.

As with our solar calendar, adjustments had to be made to keep the calendar in sync with the skies. Thus, in 1663, instead of the first day of spring arriving on New Year's Day, as was normal, it was marked as beginning two days earlier.

Though this verse was written on what our calendar today would be the 7th of February, it referred to the last days of the old year, so it makes more sense to adjust the last line from "Second-Last Day" to end of December. This phenomenon had been commented on by poets since olden times as is shown by the link between Basho's verse and especially the one written by Ariwara Motokata (888-953) that opens the imperial anthology, Kokin Waka Shuu

(before the year ends / spring has already come / left-over days / how shall we name them? / the old or the new year?").
http://www.ahapoetry.com/basharc/abasbk1.htm

"年の内に春は来にけり一年を去年とや言はん今年とや言はん"
toshi no uchi ni haru wa ki ni keri
hitotose o nizo ya iwan
kotoshi to ya iwan


sniffing and looking
looking and sniffing
the lover cat


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. WKD : Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 in Edo .


女猫子ゆへの盗とく逃よ
onna-neko ko yue no nusumi toku nige yo

female cat
stealing for your kittens
quick, run away!

Tr. Chris Drake

This hokku was written in the 8th month (September) of 1823, three months after Issa's wife Kiku wife has died. Issa sees a mother cat filching something (human food?), and he also seems to see that a human or dog or some other creature is approaching. He's obviously very concerned and warns the cat that she needs to leave what she's doing and return to her kittens immediately. It's hard not to feel that Issa's natural feeling for the cat and her kittens has been deepened by the loss of his wife and three infant children as well as by the bad health of his infant son Konzaburo, who will die in the 12th month of this year.

One puzzle is why Issa calls the mother cat simply "female cat." This is Issa's only hokku to use "female cat." In the previous two hokku in his diary he uses "mother cat."
Here's the previous hokku:

haha-neko ya nusumi shite kite ko o yobaru

mother cat
back with stolen goods
calls her kittens


The mother cat has apparently brought back some food and is making loud calls to her scattered kittens, so the use of "mother cat" is natural. Why, then, does Issa uses "female cat," literally "woman cat," in the first hokku above? Is he implying that a male cat is approaching and that he doesn't want the mother cat to forget about her kittens? September is the last month of the mating season, and even nursing cats are known to get pregnant. Or could Issa be suggesting that female cats and female humans are similar in the way they care for their young?

Chris Drake


庵の猫しゃがれ声にてうかれけり
io no neko shagare koe nite ukare-keri

husky-voiced
the cat in the house
floats elsewhere


This hokku is from the 2nd month (March) of 1817, when Issa was traveling around just east of Edo. He writes "the hut," a standard polite, humble expression meaning "the house," so he seems to be referring to one of the houses of his students or followers where he is staying temporarily during his trip. The cat could be either male or female, since both are in rut in spring, though females wail more when they are in heat, while males caterwaul continually for various females. In any case, the cat comes and goes, and even when it's home it makes guttural, feral sounds that seem husky-voiced to Issa. The cat is no longer simply domestic, and it "floats" or is carried away to another world by its overwhelming desire.

Chris Drake


oo-neko ya yobidashi ni kite tsukuri-goe

yama-neko mo tsukuri-goe shite shinobikeri

. SEE : tomcat's fake voice - Chris Drake .


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Related words

***** Voices of Animals, neko no koe 猫の声


. ANIMALS in all SEASONS - SAIJIKI



street performance in Edo 江戸の猫 






source : rakuten.co.jp/haimuraya

猫飼好五十三疋 Cats and the 53 stations of the Tokaido
歌川国芳 Utagawa Kuniyoshi

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A cat dressed as a Buddhist monk
watches a rat in the claws of a hawk.

Okubo Tadanobu, 1765

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Samurai walking his cat




Oda Nobunaga and his cat


from the Sekighara no Neko Ningyo-Kan Museum


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mari neko まり猫 cat on a temari hand ball
Yamagata

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. Cats and Daruma san .
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- #neko #manekineko #catneko -
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Camellia (tsubaki)

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Camellia (tsubaki)

***** Location: Japan, worldwide
***** Season: Spring, others see below
***** Category: Plant


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Explanation

Camellia : tsubaki つばき 椿
Camellia japonica


Hiroshige : Sparrows and camellias in snow


white camellia : shirotsubaki 白椿 (しろつばき)
red camellia : benitsubaki 紅椿(べにつばき)

camellia with simple petals : hitoe tsubaki 一重椿(ひとえつばき)
camellia with multiple petals : yaetsubaki 八重椿

camellia in the bushes : yabu-tsubaki 藪椿
..... otome tsubaki 乙女椿(おとめつばき)
large camellia: ootsubaki 大椿

camellia in the mountains : yama tsubaki 山椿(やまつばき)
camellia in snow : yuki tsubaki 雪椿(ゆきつばき)

bud of camellia like a ball: tamatsubaki 玉椿
..... tsuratsura tsubaki つらつら椿(つらつらつばき)

fallen blossom of camellia: ochitsubaki 落椿 (おちつばき)
scattering blossom of camellia : chiri tsubaki 散椿(ちりつばき)

camellia in the evening : yuutsubaki 夕椿

. Tsubaki mochi, tsubakimochi 椿餅 (つばきもち)
camellia rice cakes .

..... tsubaimochi, tsubai mochi つばいもち【椿餅】
..... tsubai mochii つばいもちい

Even the Chinese character expresses SPRING, being composed of a tree on the left side and the character for spring on the right. This flower, which grows almost like a weed everywhere, has already been sung about in the Manyoo-Shuu 万葉集 poetry collection.
The fallen halfopen flowers (ochitsubaki) are quite a sight under a large tree. On the way to our local temple they look like a red carpet layed out for the gods to tread.

Another name is "Sazanka" 山茶花、literally meaning the flower of the mountain tea plant. ''Camellia Sasanqua'' in Latin.
This is a kigo for winter, see below.

Gabi Greve


The Camellia japonicas bloom in early spring. The sasanquas bloom in fall and grow in the mountain area of the west side region in Japan. This species is made up of a large number of varieties (running into the hundreds) and colors. The japonicas do not smell, but some sasanqua smells. In general, it is said that the japonica's blooms drop, but the sasanqua's blooms shatter.

A great link with many pictures of Japanese camellia, in English.
http://www.ykanda.jp/camellia.html

Long list with Camellia Pictures:
http://www.ykanda.jp/beauty/kanda/kanda1.htm

http://www.ykanda.jp/clist.htm

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Izu Oshima, an island of Japan, is famous for its cultivation of camellia and has an annual
Camellia Festival, Tsubaki Matsuri from January to March
Famous products made of tsubaki are oil preparations for your skin or for cooking.
http://www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp/english/topics/040129/3.html
http://www.chiizu.com/jp/Album/Cover.asp?A=35603

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Camellias are evergreen shrubs, bloom in autumn and winter, and very popular because of their great beauty because of their flowers, form and also foliage. They grow in a habit form, have glossy leaves and exquisitve form. Most Camellias at first were imported from Europe but now are grown in gardens from southeastern Virginia thru the Carolinas to Florida an along the Gulf Coast and even along the Pacific coast.
They can also be grown in the house or outside.
http://www.shgresources.com/al/symbols/flower/

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Worldwide use

Germany
The famous Pillnitz-Kamelie
D er Camelienbaum kam im Jahre 1739 von Japan nach Pillnitz. Stammumfang 150 cm. Höhe 7 m. Sein Unterhalt kostet jährlich ca. 800 M.
This famous tree is said to have been a gift from Japan. When I saw it a few years ago, it was inside a huge hothouse (for an enormous amount of money) and is treated like royalty itself.
Gabi Greve


See more of this fascinating tree here:


http://www.kamelien.de/reise.htm


a German site for Camellias (has an English Version)
http://www.camellia.de/

an Italian website on the 'Higo' Camellia
http://www.higocamellia.it/

legends and stories
http://www.shiseido.co.jp/e/e9803kor/html/text/kor05200.htm


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Things found on the way



. tsubaki no hana 椿の花 camellia blossom art motives .

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Hoshino Tsubaki 星野 椿
A Haiku Life



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La Traviata, Tsubaki-Hime, Princess Tsubaki 椿姫
La Traviata ... Reference



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HAIKU


fading light-
the scent of
camellia

Kate

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One day a monk asked Onitsura about the essence of haiku.
Here is his answer :

teizen ni shiroku saitaru tsubaki kana .. .. .. Onitsura

In the garden
Whitely blooming
The camellia
http://www.takase.com/Haiku/HaikuSource01.htm


in the front garden
the camellia tree blossoms
all in white . . .

(Tr. Gabi Greve)

The cut marker KANA is at the end of line 3.


. Ueshima Onitsura 上島鬼貫 .


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kita hama no suna yoke tsubaki saki ni keri

North Beach's
sand-barrier camellias
in bloom


haru zo tote shibu-shibu sakushi tsubaki kana

springtime
yet it blooms reluctantly...
the camellia


Find more by Kobayashi Issa
http://webusers.xula.edu/dlanoue/issa/search.html


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日の目見ぬ冬の椿の咲にけり
hi no me minu fuyu no tsubaki no saki ni keri

without seeing sunlight
the winter camellia
blooms

Tr. David Lanoue



hi no me o miru 日の目を見る fig. "see the light of day"
to be realized and recognized, to be in the spotlight


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winter camellia; a walk around the temple

One-line haiku by Chibi


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nightfall...
a soft glow of moonlight
on the camellias


hortensia anderson, August 2006


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Related words


tsubaki patterns


***** . tsubaki sasu 椿挿す (つばきさす) to graft camellias
..... sashitsubaki 挿椿(さしつばき) grafted camellia
kigo for mid-summer

Planting camellias from a cut branch is best done during the rainy season.


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kigo for late summer

shara no hana 沙羅の花 flowers of the Shara tree

sarasooju 沙羅双樹 Shara tree、sal tree, saul tree
from the フタバガキ family of plants.

it is also called "white tsubaki" 白椿



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***** Nuts (fruit) of camellia (tsubaki no mi 椿の実)
kigo for autumn

At Oshima Island, the local children picking up the camellia nuts. Later, oil is pressed from the nuts. The oil tsubaki abura 椿油, is used for cooking or cosmetics.


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***** Winter Camellia, sasanka 山茶花

small camellia, kotsubaki 小椿
Princess Camellia, hime-tsubaki 姫椿
kigo for early winter


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kigo for all winter

kantsubaki, kan tsubaki 寒椿 (かんつばき)
camellia in the cold
fuyu tsubaki 冬椿(ふゆつばき)"winter camellia"
hayazaki no tsubaki 早咲の椿(はやざきのつばき)
early blossoming camellia

wabisuke 侘助 (わびすけ) Wabisuke camellia
Camellia wabisuke



.................................. Sasanka 山茶花
http://www.kyoto-np.co.jp/kp/koto/96plant/dec/1/gif/Camellia.jpg


寒椿黒き佛に手向けばや 
kantsubaki kuroki hotoke ni te mukeba ya

winter camellia
I wish I could offer it
to the sooty Buddha


Masaoka Shiki
http://www.cc.matsuyama-u.ac.jp/~shiki/kim/shikiwinter.html


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朝焼けや凍てし蕾の和らげり .. .. (Tr. 畑 毅)

early morning sun -
a frozen bud
thaws into life

..... ..... Morgensonne -
..... ..... eine gefrorene Knospe
..... ..... taut ins Leben

My Sasanka tree is in full bloom now, with early December morning frost doing no harm but enhancing the beauty.



- Gabi Greve -
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Carp Streamers and Boy's Festival

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Carp Streamers (koinobori)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Early Summer, May 5
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation


Photo Gabi Greve, 2007
Click HERE for more of my photos !


The Boy's Festival takes place on the
day with the double odd number five
the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.
now celebrated usually on May 5


. tango no sekku 端午の節句 Tango festival for the Boys .


gogatsu koi 五月鯉 carps of May
"rising flag", nobori 幟 (のぼり)
flags in May, gotatsu nobori 五月幟(さつきのぼり)
..... satsuki nobori 皐月幟(さつきのぼり)flags of the Satsuki month

displaying the flag, nobori kazaru 幟飾る(のぼりかざる)
This can be inside the home with small flags or outside in the garden.

flags in the garden, soto nobori 外幟(そとのぼり)
flags in the home, uchi nobori 内幟(うちのぼり)
flags made of paper, kami nobori 紙幟(かみのぼり)


flags in the living room, zashiki nobori 座敷幟(ざしきのぼり)


first Nobori flag (for a boy born in the year before)
- hatsu nobori 初幟(はつのぼり)


fukinagashi, fukinuke (floating in the air) 吹流し
ya-guruma (wheel with arrow-shaped spokes) 矢車
long pole for the flag, nobori zao 幟竿(のぼりざお)

nobori ichi 幟市 (のぼりいち) market selling Nobori flags
noboridana 幟店(のぼりだな)store selling Nobori flags
nobori uri 幟売(のぼりうり)vendor of Nobori flags






Fukinagashi(吹流し)



The first streamer with colorful stripes. This one is of five lucky colors, but sometimes they are made of red and white (koohaku 紅白) only, another auspicious combination. These streamers were used during battle in olden times to indicate the whereabouts of a brave warriour.

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http://www.joaf.co.jp/koi-nbori/koi-11-kogata-set-nylon/jpg/torisetu-1.jpg

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Ya-guruma 矢車
The two wheels with arrow-shaped spokes, symbols of warfare, are attached to the top of the pole. When the wind blows through these arrows, it makes a particular sound and drives the wheel around, giving special life to the carps below. At night, the carp streamers are usually taken inside, but the arrow-wheels are left. Even on a windless day they make a slight sound to wear off evil throughout the otherwise silent night in the countryside.

http://www.joaf.co.jp/koi-nbori/koi-11-kogata-set-nylon/koi-kogata-set-nylon-.htm

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Koinobori, Carp Streamers
Also called “Carp Windsocks”, “Carp Flags”.
All over Japan you will see this koinobori (carp streamers) flying in the wind, sometimes as early as from March until the 5th day of the 5th month. The 5th of May is called "Children's Day" in Japan. Since the Edo period, on this day parents who have a newborn baby boy celebrate their son's birth by flagging carp streamers. You can see carp streamers flying in the sky here and there and in all colors and sizes, especially in the countryside of Japan.

The carp is an old Chinese symbol of endurance, peserverance and fortitude, also success in a good career and people in Japan began to fly carp streamers to wish their child future success.
When the fish carp flow upstream, they use all their physical power to jump over obstacles, even waterfalls.

Until the Meiji peroid, the flags would be of paper, but nowadays they are of cloth or plastic and very vividly colored. During the Edo period, it was only allowed to the warriour class to fly these streamers.
Nowadays, when you see them floating in the crisp spring air, you know a boy has been born to this family and somehow the joy of them fills your own heart.

. . . CLICK here for many more Photos !

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- quote -
Sakai Gogatsu Koinobori 堺五月鯉幟 
Sakai Gogatsu Koinobori are koinobori or carp-shaped brocade streamers made in Sakai City, Osaka.
Their origin dates back to the beginning of the Meiji period when a merchant who had a toy and stationery business, on his way back from a visit to the Ise Shrine, saw paper carp made in Nagoya. This gave him the idea of having a Japanese kite maker make the paper carp, which he then sold.



By the middle of the Meiji period, the paper carp were replaced by ones made with brocade cloth and the techniques evolved to accommodate the change in material.
Sakai Koinobori are usually done with a drawing of a boy from a folktale, known as Kintaro, riding on the carp. The traditional elaborate methods are still used, in which the pictures are drawn by hand, one stroke at a time. The brocade cloth is then dyed with the utmost care.
With its graduated shading, subtle brush work and forcible strokes all of which are done by hand, Sakai Gogatsu Koinobori is a notable craftwork that is still highly sought after.
Sakai Gogatsu Koinobori, was designated as a prefectural traditional craftwork by Osaka in 1986. The streamers are still now enthusiastically produced so they can grace the skies of Japan with their elegantly swimming carps.
- source : nippon-kichi.jp -


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kodomo no hi 子供の日 (こどものひ) day of the children

Tag der Kinder
Official public holiday in Japan on May 5.


google.jp on May 5, 2012


. WKD - Boys' Festival (tango no sekku)
端午の節句(たんごのせっく) .

with more kigo

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chimaki 茅巻(ちまき)Chimaki ritual rice cakes

..... rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo leaves
steamed sweet rice cakes

chimaki yuu, binding a chimaki 粽結う(ちまきゆう)
chimaki toku, opening a chimaki 粽解く(ちまきとく)
sasa chimaki 笹粽(ささちまき)Chimaki wrapped in Sasa grass
..... sasa maki 笹巻(ささまき)
komo chimaki, from wild rice 菰粽(こもちまき)
suge chimaki 菅粽(すげちまき)wrapped in Suge grass



Like the Festival on May 5, the chimaki also come from China.

Zongzi (or simply zong) (Chinese: 粽子)
is a traditional Chinese food, made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves. They are cooked by steaming or boiling.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


- - - - - Haiku by Matsuo Basho - - - - -

粽結ふ片手にはさむ額髪
chimaki yuu katate ni hasamu hitai gami

wrapping rice dumplings
with one hand she puts back
her fallen hair

Tr. Barnhill

Barnhill explains the point of the haiku:
"Basho gives a haikai twist to the courtly tradition of a woman's hair draping down the sides of her face and put back behind her ears when she became involved in some aristocratic activity."

Written i 元禄4年.
Sarumino
This image refers back to a scene in the Tales of Genji (Genji Monogatari 源氏物語).

wrapping dumplings
with one hand brushing back
her bangs

Tr. Reichhold

. WAGASHI - Sweets and Haiku .

. . . . .


明日は粽難波の枯葉夢なれや
asu wa chimaki Naniwa no kareha yume nare ya

by tomorrow
the Chimaki leaves from Naniwa will become dry
and become a dream . . .


MORE
with a discission of this hokku
. Food Haiku by Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 .

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折釘に掛た所が粽哉
. orekugi ni kaketa tokoro ga chimaki kana .
Kobayashi Issa, Chimaki and hooked nails


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Gion matsuri 祇園祭り Gion Festival, Kyoto
July
Many yamahoko festival floata feature a special CHIMAKI talisman for good luck.

. Gion Chimaki 祇園ちまき Chimaki for the Gion Festival .


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quote
Chimaki shinji 粽神事
A festival held at the Hikawa Jinja in Ōmiya City, Saitama Prefecture, on June 5.
The ritual consists of offering rice cakes (chimaki) during the Tango no sekku (Boys' Festival).
People collect thatch plant leaves from a nearby marsh, arrange them into pieces of equal length, then wrap the rice cakes with them and furthermore wrap these in straw. The two layers of wrapping are said
to resemble Yin and Yang (onmyō, onyō).
Along with other offerings (shinsen), thirty chimaki cakes are presented to the main shrine (honsha), five to each of the three sessha (auxiliary shrines), and twenty are presented to the massha (branch shrine). Depending on whether destined for the main shrine, auxiliary shrines, or branch shrines, the number of cakes wrapped in straw varies. The cakes are said to have the power to ward off evil spirits and epidemics.
The original festival day was the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar.

source : Mogi Sakae, Kokugakuin, 2007


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The Boy's festival comes with many more kigo about special rituals and ceremonies, performed on May 5.

Check them out here
. Ceremonies at the Boy's Festival


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Here is more about the carp as an animal:

The CARP Cyprinus carpio
The carp can become quite large, up to 120 cm long with a weight of 25-30 kg. It is silvery, with the back darker than the belly. The fins are greyish-green, the tail fin has two distinct lobes. There are 4 threads on the upper lip of the mouth.The carp prefers to live in stagnant or slowly flowing water with many plants and a sandy or muddy bottom. It feeds on plant material as well as on small animals such as insect larvae, molluscs and crustaceans. Larger carp also hunt small fish and salamanders.The carp is most active at dusk. Breeding takes place from April to July, depending on water temperature.

Symbolism:
In the Far East the carp is a symbol of good luck and a long life. In mythology it is a riding animal and messenger of the gods. In some stories a message or seal is found in a carp's stomach. In Japan and also in China it is a symbol of intelligence and also of courage and endurance because it swims against the flow of the river. The Bambara of Sudan consider it a symbol of both material and spiritual fecundity.

Carp in a dream:
Seeing a carp in a dream is considered to be a sign of good luck. A carp in a dream can sometimes speak; when this happens it is believed that your soul is trying to speak to your conscious self.
http://www.dierinbeeld.nl/animal_files/fish/carp/



Photo Gabi Greve


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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way


LINK to Japan Times article
"Pictorial Banners in the Edo Period"
Japan Folk Crafts Museum.


KOI, Carps as Kimono Patterns


"Koi" (Carp) is what we call the head of fish-water fish because of its grand figure in the water. So it's true that there are some anglers who end up putting their fishing rods aside and admire the fish swimming so gracefully. Then they'd always go "I should have caught it before the fish swim out of view..." "Koi" has wild aspects as well. Once the fish puts on full stream, you'll be astonished by the speed and a lot of splash. I hope you'll see "Koi" swimming against the rushing stream with your own eyes. I wonder if you've ever see "Koi" swimming up a waterfall like in the pattern of Kimono. There might be some exaggeration, but people would picture that pattern for the wish of "success in life".

That was especially put into young boys and there is a special day for them, 5th of May, the day we put up carp streamers called "Koi-Nobori"(which is on sale). But now let me tell you that there's another special day for young girls as well on the 3rd of March, the day on which we set up dolls in various Kimono costumes and girls get dressed in Kimono they are proud of.
http://www.yamatoku.jp/classic/topic.asp

source : xxx


furafu ふらふ
the colorful carp streamers of Tosa, Shikoku
. . . CLICK here for Photos !






Hiroshige, 100 Views of Edo


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source : www.recipe-blog.jp/profile/20653

and some sweet carp streamers for the kids . . .

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HAIKU


kaze fukeba kuru ya tonari no koi-nobori

when the wind blows
they come this way, neighbours
carp streamers


Takahama Kyoshi

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Some famous and international ku connected with this subject. Carp streamers even in Honolulu.
http://haiku.cc.ehime-u.ac.jp/~shiki/shiki.archive/

bright banners in May
flapping in the gusts --
neighbors stop to stare
…..Zeyda-

Carp streamers

Over Honolulu
Where East meets West.
…..Takashi

Out off the closet
Carp hoisted high, black and scarlet-
Waft of mothballs.
…..Takashi

Son was born at last
After the two daughters-
Carp streamers.
…..Takashi

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Some old masters' haiku:

ki gakurete meiyo no ie no nobori kana
Buson

Hidden among the trees
The house of honour-
The streamers.

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kojiki machi towa miezarishi nobori kana
Issa

The slums
don't look like that-
the streamers

Here I want to add one episode of my experience with the carp streamers. A poor farmer in the neighbourhood finally had his first son born, father almost 50 years. So they bought the most expensive carp streamer for more than twothousand dollars and put it up in front of the house, where the money would have been better spend repairing the roof. But that could wait, the joy and honour showing the boy’s birth was much bigger.
That is the atmosphere Issa wants to express, I think.

Gabi Greve

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- - - - - Chris drake wrote:

君が代は 乞食の家も のぼり哉
kimi ga yo wa kojiki no ie mo nobori kana

this peaceful realm --
even at beggar houses
Children's Day banners


I did use the current name of the 5/5 festival, Children's Day.
I realize it's not perfect, but I used it because I thought things would get too complicated if I mentioned all the various customs related to the Tango no Sekku festival complex. I also wanted to avoid the misleading term Boy's Festival, which is commonly encountered, since the Tango festival was traditionally not just for boys, except perhaps within the warrior class. Among commoners, especially in rural areas, the village young men's and young women's associations usually held celebrations, 5/5 was often considered "women's house day," and the placement of sweet flag leaves on roofs and sweet-flag baths were both for girls as well as boys. This is presumably why the Japanese government now uses the term Children's Day -- since in the Edo period the 3/3 Doll festival was held for purification and not just for girls and the 5/5 Tango festival was mainly for maintaining good health and protection against summer diseases and not just for boys. Therefore I was using Children's Day descriptively, not as a name used in Issa's time. I agree that Children's Day is a little confusing, just as the historical reality is a bit confusing.

Chris Drake
- Read his full discussion of this poem :
. Issa and the Kojiki beggars .


kimi ga yo wa kojiki no ie mo nobori kana

in this peaceful realm
even at beggar's houses
there are festival streamers . . .

Tr. Gabi Greve

The cut marker KANA is at the end of line 3.


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Related words

. WASHOKU
kashiwamochi, kashiwa mochi 柏餅 mochi wrapped in oak leaves

a symbol for the continuation of a family tree



***** Golden Week
oogon shuukan 黄金週間 (おうごんしゅうかん)
goorudin uiiku ゴールデンウィーク

National Holidays of Japan WKD Reference

The end of April through around May 5th is called "Golden Week" in Japan since there are a couple of holidays during this time. Many businesses close for about a week to 10 days depending on the calender. Many people take a vacation and travel around the country or abroad.

April 29:
The Emperor's Birthday (天皇誕生日, Tennō Tanjōbi), until 1988
Greenery Day (みどりの日, Midori no Hi), from 1989 until 2006
Showa Day (昭和の日, Shōwa no Hi, Shoowa no hi), since 2007

May 3 : Kenpoo-kinenbi 憲法記念日 Constitution Memorial Day

May 4 : Midori-no-hi みどりの日 Green Day (Greenery Day)

May 5 : Kodomo-no-hi こどもの日 Children's Day
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !



gooruden uiiku daidokoro ni wa sara no yama

.. .. .. Golden Week -
.. .. .. in the kitchen
.. .. .. a mountain of plates


Gabi Greve, Monday May 9, 2005, after so many visitors for almost two weeks ...


Golden Week -
the mind cluttered
by trivia

Gabi Greve, May 1, 2008


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***** Kodomo no Hi - Children's Day, May 5th.

On this day, Japanese families pray for the healthy growth of children. Children's Day is also called Tangono-sekku, and historically it was the day to celebrate and pray for the health of boys. Japanese families with boys hang up carp streamers (Koinobori) outside and display May dolls (Gogatsu Ningyo) inside their houses.
http://gojapan.about.com/cs/japaneseholidays/a/goldenweek.htm



Carp streamers and terraced rice fields
© Gabi Greve, 2007

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Carp (higoi, koi) family Cyprinidae fish Goldfisch, Karpfen



46 Momotaro Carp
Kintaro, the Golden Boy, on a Carp Streamer
Photo Gabi Greve


Kintaro, the Golden Boy
Daruma Museum


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. Tango no sekku 端午の節句 Tango festival for the Boys .


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Seishoo koo  清正公 Seisho Ko
覚林寺 Temple Kakurin-Ji
1-1-47 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo

This temple was established by Saint Nichiren in 1631.



- quote -
This temple houses a memorial tablet of Kato Kiyomasa, a prominent warrior and feudal lord who served the Toyotomi and Tokugawa Clans, from the Azuchi-Momoyama Period (the 16th Century) to the beginning of the Edo Period (the 17th Century). The statue has been worshipped as the "honorary Seisho-ko of Shirokane."
The Seisho-ko Festival is held on May 4th and 5th every year and many stalls that are open at night line the streets.
- source : www.att-japan.net/en -


. Tokyo and Edo Folk Art and Toys 江戸玩具 .

. Koi 鯉 carp toys from Japan .


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